"Because it will be beautiful."

Ken Follet 《The Pillars of the Earth》 

FB memory 跳出2014年參觀英國 Salisbury  Cathedral 時拍的照片，不由自主想起這部 Ken Follet 的小說 The Pillars of the Earth ，中文翻譯為《聖殿春秋》。小說前半部的主角是一位名叫 Tom Builder 的石匠。中古世紀的平民通常沒有姓，所以為了區分，名字後面會加上他們的職業，或他們的家鄉，Tom the builder，Robin from Locksley，當然有些後來演變成現在的姓：baker，smith 等等。所以這位 Tom Builder是一位建築石匠，他居無定所，帶著老婆孩子到處去工作。那裡有建築工程，好運的話，憑他的經驗會被聘請，那一家人就可以留下來直到工程結束，通常一座哥德式教堂要建幾百年，拿到這樣的工作就是一輩子了。故事開始時他帶著兩個孩子和快臨盆的妻子到處找工作。那一年他運氣很差，所有的工程被迫停頓。後來妻子在郊外生產時，流血不止而死。他沒有奶水沒辦法養活新生嬰兒，就把嬰兒包起來保暖，橫心放在埋葬妻子的土堆上，讓他自生自滅。後來 Kingsbridge的一位神父經過，看見啼哭的嬰兒就把他抱回修院去。Tom 躲在一旁看見這事，就帶著兩個孩子去了Kingsbrige，在那邊住了下來，做一些雜工。Kingsbrige 有一座年老失修的教堂讓他很心動，他很想很想建一座教堂。他的夢想就是希望有一天他有機會親手建一座大教堂，他一直在心裡盤算著，設計著，就等待一個機會。

書裡有一個情節對我來說是整部小說最精彩的地方。Tom 花了很多個晚上，偷偷的在家裡畫了一個教堂的設計圖並算好成本。一直想跟神父建議在 Kingsbridge老教堂上蓋一座更宏偉的大教堂。這天他終於鼓起勇氣去見神父。這是他跟神父的一段感人的對話。

Phillips : "What's that you've got ?"

Tom : "Drawings, father. For a new cathedral, may I show you ?"

Phillips looked surprised but intrigued, "By all mean."

Tom 花了一陣子解釋他的設計。

Phillips : "It looks splendid. Are there only six bays to the nave ?"

Tom : "Yes. And four to the chancel."

Phillips : "Isn't that rather small ?"

Tom : "Can you afford to build it bigger ?"

Phillips : "I can't afford to build it at all. I don't suppose you have any idea how much this would cost." （有點不相信Tom）

Tom : "I know exactly how much this would cost."

He saw surprise on Phillip's face.  He had spent many hours calculating the cost of his design to the last penny. However, he gave Phillips the round figure. "It would be no more than three thousand pounds."

Phillips laughed hollowly : "I have spent last few weeks working out the annual income of the priory. Here's the answer, three hundred pounds a year. And we spend every penny."

Tom : "You will find the money, father. With God's help." （多麼單純的信念）

Phillips : "How long would this take to build ?"

Tom : "That depends on how many people you employ. If you hire thirty masons, with enough labourers, apprentices, carpenters and smiths to service them. You might take fifteen years. One year for the foundation, four years for the chancel, four years for the transepts, and six years for the naves."

Phillips : "So I need to find two hundred pounds a year. That doesn't sound so bad, when you put it that way." He looked thoughtful, Tom felt excited. Phillips was beginning to think this is a workable project, "Suppose I could afford more -- could we build faster?"

Tom : "Up to a point. You could employ sixty masons, and build the whole church at once, instead of working from east to west, and that might take eight to ten years. Any more than sixty, on a building this size, they would start getting in one another's way, and slow the work down." (工匠的經驗啊)

Phillips : "Still, even with just thirty masons, I could have the east end completed after five years."

Toms : "Yes, and you could use it for services, and setup a new shrine for the bones of Saint Aldophus."

Phillips : "Indeed. Have you ever build a cathedral before ?" He looked shrewdly at Tom. （又開始懷疑了）

Tom : "No, though I've designed and built smaller churches. But I've worked at Exeter Cathedral for several years, finishing up as deputy master builder."

Phillips : "You want to build this cathedral yourself, don't you?"

Tom hesitated, "Yes, Father. I want you to appoint me master builder." He said as calmly as he could.

Phillips : "Why ?"

Tom had not expected that question. There were so many reasons. Because I've seen it done badly, and I know I could do it well, he thought. Because there is nothing more satisfying to a master craftsman, than to exercise his skill, except perhaps to make love to a beautiful woman. Because something like this gives meaning to a man's life. Which answer did Phillips want? The prior would probably like him to say something pious. Recklessly, he decided to tell the real truth. "Because it will be beautiful."

Phillips looked at him strangely. Tom could not tell whether he was angry or something else. "Because it will be beautiful" Phillips repeated.

Tom's words had touched his heart. Finally Phillips nodded.

"Yes, what could be better than to make something beautiful for God.”

Ken Follet 說過 Salisbury 教堂是小說的靈感來源之一。但它實在太太太大了，我走了很遠，還是拍不完全景。

每次我在歐洲看見美麗高聳的哥德式教堂，或看見精美的手工藝製作或藝術品，我都會想起 Tom 的這句話："Because it will be beautiful" 多麼唯美的信念，沒有粉飾的理由。還有Tom 那股單純的信念。

反觀Phillips神父，一開始 Tom 跟他解釋設計圖時，他當時就很驚訝Tom對自己建築行業的認識。但接下來的對話，他習慣性的不斷的在懷疑Tom 的專業：“I don't suppose you have any idea how much this would cost." “Have you ever build a cathedral before ?” "You want to build this cathedral yourself, don't you?" “Why ?” 他讓我想到我們很多人包括我自己，上網Google了幾個資料，在面書讀了幾則po文，讀了幾本書，就儼然專家自居，甚至還會懷疑專家，去挑戰人家專業人士的專業知識。

我常常覺得古代這些精美的東西能夠流傳千古，是因為匠人藝人們在它們身上所注入的能量。如果沒有他們這股單純唯美的信念，或許我們就沒有這些美麗的教堂，美麗的雕刻，美麗的彩繪玻璃，美麗的藝術品。Tom Builder 這個角色代表了千千萬萬位中古世紀的匠人，石匠，鐵匠，雕刻師，繪畫師，和其他手工藝人。他們或許沒讀過什麼書，只能做基本的計算。他們是勞動階級，他們沒有什麼可以奉獻，唯一可以奉獻的就是他們的手工藝。他們就全心、全靈、全意、全力的用自己最好的手藝把東西製造出來。

“Yes, what could be better than to make something beautiful for God.” 把真善美奉獻給上帝，多麼令人感動。